Mary ann loomis



UNTTED sTATEs PATENT oEEIoE.

JOSEPH G. LOOMIS, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA; MARY ANN LOOMIS,EXECUTRIX OF SAID JOSEPH G. LOOMIS, DEGEASED, ASSIGNOR TO W. A.GARDINER.

SURGICAL FORCEPS.

Speccaton of Letters Patent No. 11,982, dated November 21, 1854'.

To all whom t may Concern.'

Be it known that JOSEPH G. LooMIs, late of the city of Philadelphia andState of Pennsylvania, has invented a new and useful Improvement uponthe Surgical Forceps, called the Ovum Forceps, and do hereby declarethat the following is a full, clear, and exact description of theconstruction A and operation of the same, reference being had to theannexed drawings, making a part of this specification.

The nature of my invention consists of a rotary joint, by which oneblade of the forceps is capable of making a partial revolution withinthe other blade, in order to bring the convexity of the scoop of oneblade into the concavity of the scoop of the other blade (like one spoonlaid into another,) and thus to facilitate the introduction of theforceps during an operation.

Figure 6, represents the ovum forceps in the position in which it isintroduced; Fig. 7 the instrument at a partial sweep; Fig. 8, theinstrument open, extended and in a position to grasp its object; Fig. 9,exposes the joint with the upper half of the nut removed; Fig. l0,represents a part of the stationary blade A, the full nut and joint withthe groove in which the rotary blade rests when the instrument is closedupon` an object.

In constructing the joint of the forceps, I make the blade A wit-h aslotinto which twowashers a, a, are inserted, and then held by screwsl), 6,-each of these washers has a semicylindrical groove to receive thecontracted central portion of the blade B, and one of them has two holeso, c, to receive corresponding studs upon the other.-Blade B carries astud d, fitting the two notches f, of the washers; and thus B is capableof a partial revolution in relation to blade A, the motion beingarrested by stud al.

For the extraction or removal of the ovum or other object the forceps isintroduced as represented in Fig. 6, thescoop and blade B rest-ing inthe scoop and groove of the blade A. The blade B is then rotated, as

in Fig. 7, and its grasp ifnecessary eX- tended by the scissors movementto secure the object, as represented in Fig. S.'

This forceps with my improvements will be useful in removing the ovumbetween the third and sixth months of gestation, in removing detachableplacenta polypus and other tumors that have become detached by ligationand are too large to be removed without forceps. Also for removing hardened foeces from an inactive rectum when the scoop would otherwise beused, and in other cases of forceps where the passage of both bladesupon the same side is necessary or important.

I do not claim the invention of the surgical forceps, but

p J. G. LOOMIS. Witnesses c J As. H. CARR, E. B. BOILEAU,

